To find a permanent solution to the problem of sea erosion in many parts of the Karnataka coast, the State Government has awarded tenders to two companies to carry out the first phase of work on constructing a sea wall, according to B Ramanath Rai, Dakshina Kannada District in-charge Minister.
Inspecting the houses affected by sea erosion at Ullal near Mangalore on Tuesday, he said the Karnataka coast faces severe sea erosion during the monsoon season.
The Government has planned a ₹900-crore project to tackle this problem.
Tenders have been awarded to two companies in the first phase to carry out the work on the construction of a sea wall along some stretches of the Karnataka coast at a cost of ₹223 crore.
An official from the Karnataka Ports Department informed the Minister that the Kochi-based company RDS and the Mumbai-based company RB Chavan have been awarded the work in the first phase.
The work on the first phase of the project is expected to be completed by 2016, he said.
The Government has spent around ₹10 crore as a temporary measure to tackle sea erosion in Dakshina Kannada district till now, the official said.
The Minister said around 70 families in Ullal, who have been affected by sea erosion, have been shifted to a temporary rehabilitation centre. Some portions of a resort on Ullal beach have also been affected by the sea erosion.